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34
JOHNNY
I’ve never been much of a sports guy, but I imagine having sex with Claire is comparable to winning the Superbowl or something similar in nature. Or maybe it’s more like traveling to the moon or winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Visualize the best thing you could think of, and multiply it by ten billion. Yeah, that's probably closer to the experience we just shared.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had sex. But not likethat.
Passion. Intensity. Connection.
From the very moment I bumped into her that first day she arrived here, there’s been an undeniable pull between us.
Call me crazy, but there’s something about the way Claire looks at me. Like she knows me. Like she sees me. It’s enough to set my soul on fire in the best way possible. I can be myself with her. Truly and utterly vulnerable. Nothing shakes her, and for once, I feel not so alone in the world.
“You okay?” Claire asks over the top of her cup of coffee. She’s staring at me, which tells me I must have been zoning out.
I study her face—the soft edges and subtle glow about her. Her lips, still a little puffy from our intimate time together. The freckle just a hair away from her brow.
“Yeah,” I breathe.
I’ll never have any clue what I did to be so fucking lucky. Not only is Claire pretty much drop-dead gorgeous, but she’s incredibly smart, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s carrying a perfect GPA. She’s managed to maintain her grades and somehow help me raise all of mine. She’s taken on a part-time job, and still somehow unraveled the great mystery of where the stolen package was located. All while making new friends and being braver than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s kind and thoughtful and fiercely badass. Not to mention, all she’s had to endure up until this point. She was forced to move across the country, live in an unfamiliar place with a mom she’s never known, and deal with a psychotic stalker boyfriend. And that’s just what I’m aware of.
Claire is a freaking angel.
“You ready to get out of here?” She reaches for the check, which completely snaps me out of my train of thought.
No way in hell I’m allowing her to pay for our food. I clearly have more money than I know what to do with, and she works hard for hers. It’s the least I could do for everything she’s done for me.
I manage to hop up and rush to the register to block Claire from intercepting the bill.
Bram smiles and cashes us out. “You kids seem happy.”
Claire comes to my side, wrapping her arms around me.
I look down at her, her gaze meeting mine.
Something I haven’t known, staring right back at me—happiness.
A loud pop sounds from outside—the kind that could be easily confused with fireworks.
I shift my attention toward the door and tighten my hold on Claire.
Another bang rattles through the diner.
I turn toward Claire and Bram. “Stay here.”
Claire grabs at my hand. “What? No, you can’t go out there!” Panic is written across her face.
“I’ll be right back,” I reassure her. I glance at Bram to help me out.
He seems just as startled as her.
I rush out the front of the diner, the doorbell dinging at my exit.
People are slowly rising from their cowered positions near cars and random stuff on the street. I make eye contact with an older woman and she points to my left. My stomach sinks when I notice the exact location.
I make my way over and poke my head into the dark alley with caution.
